paraplegic

/ˌpɛɹəˈplid͡ʒɪk/

//ˌpɛɹəˈplid͡ʒɪk// adj

"paraplegic" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“paraplegic” is uncommon English (frequency #50,140 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#50,140
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of, related to, or suffering from paraplegia. Paralyzed from the lower half of the body down.

Corpus desk

Index EN-paraplegic · paraplegic · English

paraplegic · rank #50,140 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #50,140
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH passerby

Nearest frequency peer: passerby (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “paraplegic”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “paraplegic” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for paraplegic
PropertyValue
Headwordparaplegic
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌpɛɹəˈplid͡ʒɪk/
Letters10
Frequency rank#50,140
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “paraplegic” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).paraplegicfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “passerby” (#50,141), “paneled” (#50,138), “paddled” (#50,137). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “paraplegic” is #50,140. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

paraplegic is uncommon English at frequency #50,140 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˌpɛɹəˈplid͡ʒɪk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Of, related to, or suffering from paraplegia. Paralyzed from the lower half of the body down.".

No misspelling variants are generated for paraplegic in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From para- + -plegic. The correct English form is paraplegic, spelled P-A-R-A-P-L-E-G-I-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of, related to, or suffering from paraplegia. Paralyzed from the lower half of the body down.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how paraplegic appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The guard looks at you with a troubled, uncomfortable glare, like that of a man who must explain to his paraplegic daughter that her dreams of becoming a ballerina will never come true.

Etymology

From para- + -plegic.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "paraplegic"?
"paraplegic" is spelled P-A-R-A-P-L-E-G-I-C. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌpɛɹəˈplid͡ʒɪk/.
What does "paraplegic" mean?
As an adjective, "paraplegic" means: Of, related to, or suffering from paraplegia. Paralyzed from the lower half of the body down.
How do you pronounce "paraplegic"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "paraplegic" is /ˌpɛɹəˈplid͡ʒɪk/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "paraplegic"?
From para- + -plegic. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "paraplegic", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list